The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-06-30

The Soldier the Bulwark OF the Nation
Warriors OF Ancient and Modern Times
Present Reviews Compared With
the Great and Final One.
Rev. T. Dewitt Talmage visited the Ma
tional militia encampment at Washington
and preached to an immense con gregation
on the camp ground Soldiers from thirty
one States and Territories were present,
together with nineteen Governors and
their STATS. His texts were:
Fifty thousand which could keep rank.-L
Chronicles, XII, 80.
Every one could sling stones at a hair-breadth
and not miss.-Judges, xx., Is.
He said: Companies Of infantry, caval-
ry, artillery and zouaves, please notice
the first Scripture passage applauds the
soldiers Of Zebulun because they were
disciplined troops. They may have been
insufficient at the start and laughed at by
old soldiers because they seemed 80 clum-
sy in the line; but it was drill, drill, drill,
until they could keep step as one man.
Fifty Thousand which could keep rank
The second Scripture passage applauds
regiment of singers in the tribe of
Benjamin because they are dexterous
AAAaA hoAAOAs w uOA ouCy ALou CuiISV VOL ouCy
may have been an awkward squad, and
all their fingers were thumbs, but they
practiced until when they aimed at
mark they always hit it.
Every one could sling stones at q hair brea 9TH
and not miss.
Both texts combining to show us that
il we must fight we should do it well.
There Is something absorbing In the
yvaSlfkovD I'd NJ <hA t. al
times all the men between twenty and fifty
and then levy was made for special
service. There were only three or four
classes exempt-those who had built
house and had not occupied it; those who
had planted garden and had not reaped
the fruit Of it; those who were engaged
to be married and vet had not Jed the
bride to the altar; those who were yet In
the first year of welded life; those who
were so nervous that they could not look
upon an enemy but they fed, and cou Id
not look upon blood but they tainted.
The army was in three divisions-the
center and right and left wings. The
weapons Of defen use were helmet, shield,
breastplate, buckler. The weapons of
offense were sword, spear, javelin, arrow,
catapult-which was merely bow swung
by machinery, shooting arrows at vast
distances, great arrows, one arrow as
large as several men could
lift, and ballista, which was q
sling swung by machinery, hurting great
rocks and large pieces of lead to vast dis
tances. The shields were made OF woven
willowswork, with three thicknesses OF
hide and loop inside through which the
arm OF the warrior might be thrust; and
when these soldiers were marching to at
tack an enemy on the level all these
shields touched each other, making wall
moving but impenetrable; and then when
they attacked fortress and tried to capt.
ure battlement, this shield was lifted
over the head SO as to resist the falling
missiles. The breastplate was made Of
two pieces of leather, brass covered, one
piece falling over the back. At the side
Of the warrior the two pieces fas tened
with buttons or clasps The bows were
SO stout and stin and strong that warriors
often challenged each other to bend one.
The strings OF the bow were made from
sinews Of oxen. A case like an inverted
pyramid was fastened to the back, that
case containing the arrows. so that when
the warrior wanted to use an arrow he
would put his arm over his
shoulder and pull forth the
arrow for the fight. The angle
OF the foot had an iron boot. When wall
wast to be assaulted a battering ram was
brought up. A battering-ram was great
beam swung on chains in equilibrium.
The battering-ram would be brought close
up to the wall, and then great number
Of men would take hold of this beam,
push 1t back as far as they could and then
let go, and the beam became great
swinging pendulum of destruction.
Twenty or forty men would stand in
movable tower on the back of an ele-
plant, the elephant made drunk with
wine, and then headed toward the enemy,
and what with the heavy feet and the
swinging proboscis, and the poisoned ar
rows shot from the movable tower, the
destruction was appalling. War chariots
were in vogue. and they were on two
wheels, so they could easily turn. A
sword was fastened to the pole between
the horses, so when they went ahead the
sword thrust, and when they turned
around it would NOW down. The armies
carried fiags beautifully embroidered The
tribe Of Judah carried q flag embroidered
with lion; tribe Of Reuben, en-
broidered with man; tribe of Dan, en-
broidered with cherubim. The noise Of
the host as they moved on was over
whelming. What with the clatter of
shields and the rumbling Of wheels and
the shouts Of the captains, and the voci-
ferstions Of the entire host, the prophet
says it was like the roaring Of the sea.
Because the arts Of war have been ad-
vancing all these long years you are not
to conclude that these armies Of olden
times were an uncomfortable mob I
could quote you four or five passages of
Scripture showing you that they were
thoroughly drilled; they marched step to
step, shoulder to shoulder, or as my texts
expresses II, they were
FIFTY thousand which could keep rank" and
Every one could sling stones ct hair breadth
and not miss"
Nothing could be more important than
this great National enca mpment I'M
drilled troops can never stand before
those which are drilled. At time when
other nations are giving such care to mil
itary tactics, it behooves this Nation
to lack nothing in skill. We shall
never have another war between
North and South. The old decaycd bone OF
contention, American slavery, has been
cast out although here and there de-
PRAYED politician takes it up to see il he
can gnaw some thing on Of it. We are float
In n{P fsspfhap ovA -. R..,--